Movies on the Verge Presents “Milford Graves Full Mantis”
October 18, 2018
7:30 pm
Milford Graves Full Mantis is a feature-length portrait of renowned percussionist Milford Graves, exploring his kaleidoscopic creativity and relentless curiosity.
Graves has performed internationally since 1964, both as a soloist and in ensembles with such legends as Albert Ayler, Giuseppi Logan and Sonny Sharrock. He is a founding pioneer of avant-garde jazz, and he remains one of the most influential living figures in the evolution of the form.
The film draws the viewer through the artist’s lush garden and ornate home, into the martial arts dojo in his backyard and the laboratory in his basement – all of this just blocks from where he grew up in the housing projects of South Jamaica, Queens. Graves tells stories of discovery, struggle and survival, ruminates on the essence of ‘swing,’ activates electronic stethoscopes in his basement lab to process the sound of his heart, and travels to Japan where he performs at a school for children with autism, igniting the student body into an ecstatic display of spontaneous collective energy.
Oscillating from present to past and weaving intimate glimpses of the artist’s complex cosmology with blistering performances from around the globe, Milford Graves Full Mantis is cinema full of fluidity, polyrhythm and intensity, embodying the essence of Graves’ music itself.
TRAILER
Doors open at 7:00 pm, screening starts at 7:30 pm
Free popcorn, cash bar
TICKETS
Purchase tickets online at https://vergeart.ejoinme.org/milfordgraves or at the door.
General Admission: $7
Students, Seniors (65+): $5
Verge Members: Free
Not a Verge member? Visit vergecontemporary.org/support to sign up!
This screening is part of Sounding Off, Movies on the Verge’s curated music documentary series.
FESTIVALS & AWARDS
WINNER – Independent Vision Jury Prize – Sarasota Film Festival 2018
OFFICIAL SELECTION – International Film Festival Rotterdam 2018
OFFICIAL SELECTION – SXSW Film Festival 2018
OFFICIAL SELECTION – CHP:DOX 2018
OFFICIAL SELECTION – Sheffield Documentary Film Festival 2018
OFFICIAL SELECTION – Art of the Real 2018